I agree. A simple "I've been offered an opportunity and I feel it's in my best interest to take it" is fine. No details. If you are valued, she will offer to negotiate but I doubt it. $.05 raise is an insult. I know, it's happened to me. She's essentially telling you that your time is worth five cents an our more with all your schooling, training and loyalty? Would you leave a nickle tip @ a restaurant? Better to say it just isn't in the budget and show appreciation in other ways? Thank you note, gift card occasionally? Your first responsibility is to yourself. You owe her nothing. Everything ES said comes from alot of knowledge and experience. Good luck! It's nerve racking I know but this too shall pass!

Oh I never planned on saying anything negative about my current employer, unless you would say saying something like "I would like a job with more opportunity for growth" is negative? I guess I can't say that "I don't feel fully utilized at my current job" to prospective future employer or would that be in a negative connotation as well?

I have more to contribute than I can in my current position. It has been a wonderful training opportunity, but now I am ready to take it to the next level.

I did a lot of research tonight on clinics nearby me. Hiring or not, I plan on writing out personalized cover letters for each clinic I'm interested in working in. There is actually one pretty close by that a friend and classmate from vet tech school is working at!! Don't think they're hiring, but at least I have an "insider" who can give a good word for me if they are hiring!

Most job opportunities come from someone who knows someone!

Say I do get a job offer at another clinic -- how do I approach my current boss? She is the type that will spew "communication is key!!" to me; she will probably be "offended" that I did not approach her more about these issues (again, I have brought up some to her in the past, but not all of them. When I brought up my commute and the price of gas coupled with the fact that my car gets crappy gas mileage, she gave me a $0.05 raise....................). Also, from what I've been reading on my veterinary forums, the standard yearly raise is 10-15%, or $1; I received a combined ~7% raise for my yearly raise AND passing state boards; that's a 3% yearly raise and a little over 3% for passing state boards and she acted like it was a HUMONGOUS raise... seriously, she kept saying "this is a HUGE raise!!!!".

Let me say one thing...I haven't seen double digit raises in a long, long, long, long time.... 5% is outstanding these days...2.5 - 3% is normal. So is 0%. Careful with your expectations! She has not been able to charge more and her revenue is probably level at best.That said - she is your boss - not your mom. All you need to say is..."I have been presented with an opportunity about which I am very excited. I thank you for giving me the start in my career that will allow me to grow. You have been super. I know this is the best thing for me. What can I do to help with the transition?"

Could you possibly just leave it as, "a better opportunity has been presented to me" or something like that? I have never actually "quit" a job either, but then again, I've never had a real-world career YET. I don't think she really needs to know all the details personally.

That's pretty much how I think I would present it. I would not do it until I had a job offer, and my honest-to-goodness main reason is the commute and gas. Pay, too, but I don't want to present it to her with reasons that she thinks she can work on fixing when I've already brought them up before.

Well, a quick update... I had an interview today. The clinic is 15 miles away versus 22, not considerably closer but still closer. They are a lot smaller than my current clinic (staff-wise, doctor-wise, and space-wise), but they see a broader range of pets (besides cats and dogs they see a lot of reptiles, birds, and pocket pets! The office manager also showed me a picture where they converted one of the exam rooms into a stall for an alpaca they'd treated!!). While I was there, she made it clear they were short-staffed that day and she was working receptionist. So I was there ~1 1/2 hours because there were so so so many interruptions. We touched basics but I didn't have an opportunity to ask any questions that I'd prepared.

A downside I see is I am currently working full time so my schedule is very limited as to when I can come in for a working interview, and say they decide to hire me, I have to give my two weeks (depending on whether I work those full two weeks is up to my boss). Whereas I know they work with vet tech schools in the area and I know she's had other interviews with techs that I'm sure are ready to start immediately.

I DO have a working interview for next Thursday but she kind of implied that time is of the essence for hiring... and the EARLIEST I would be available to work would be in 3 weeks...

So I left the interview not feeling very confident (even though she, the dr's, and the rest of the staff were all SO nice to me!) because she was working reception as she was interviewing me and we had a ton of interruptions, and I'm not available to start immediately...

Maybe if you are offered the job, you could work something out with your current employer, particularly if you have any sick or vacation day accrued ... Sounds like it could be a good opportunity!

I'd thought about that (currently have 4 vacation days remaining) but I know for a fact that she won't do that... At all my previous jobs, any unused vacation days I had left upon giving my two weeks notice was tallied up and I was given a check for the vacation days remaining. She has already made it clear this does not happen at my current job. I also do not get any sick days (well unless I use a vacation day...). We also don't get overtime... if I work more than 80 hours on a paycheck, they cap the check for 80 hours and any time remaining gets "rolled over" onto my next paycheck...

Not to mention the health insurance option they offer us is terrible (HSA account) and there are really no other befits worthwhile besides my 401k they contribute to.

While two week notice is appropriate most times and places, I dont think I would let that, alone, stop me from jumping ship, especially since you know your current boss wont be fair to you. Yeah, I get that YOU still need to do the right thing and all.

And, if a prospective employer lets someones start date influence who gets the job, when we are talking about two weeks, that might not be a good sign.

Working interview yesterday went ok, she was too busy again to talk to me afterwards, though. Hoping she'll find time to call me today. I understand they're busy, but if you're the office manager you really should MAKE time for these things. I feel kind of "pushed off" as far as feeling like a potential employee. I've been very understanding so far but I feel like she isn't really available. And I still have not talked to her about anything regarding benefits, policies, or any of the questions I've had.

I did however get to handle a rooster (it actually pooped in my scrub pocket all over my car keys... haha) and a bearded dragon yesterday... both firsts for me, and the types of pets they see on a regular basis! This seems like a job where my skills as a tech will fully be utilized (however, most said skills I have not actively used in the past 2 years since my current job doesn't "allow" me to use them even though I'm certified and went to school for it...), but the clinic is REALLY old and outdated, the doctor apparently has an "old school" way of doing things that I may not feel comfortable with (spays and neuters without IV catheters or pre-anesthetic labwork kind of makes me uneasy but that may be because I'm not used to it, because I know that happens at A LOTTTTTT of clinics), and the whole place looks kind of "grungy"... and it's small. And they also have one dedicated technician doing surgeries, so unless he is out sick or off that day I will not be doing surgeries, which I kind of wanted to do. BUT if they offer me a lot more than what I'm making now... I may be able to justify making the switch. Another downside though is the commute... I sat in stop-and-go traffic for 15 minutes of the commute... one of the reasons I'm looking for another job is to save on gas, and that certainly isn't saving me any gas...

Oh, also, one of the techs looks like Chuck Norris. No kidding

I did send my resume to another clinic three minutes from where I live but have not heard anything from them, yet. I just have to wait to hear from this clinic today... and I will not accept any job offer immediately (unless they're wanting to offer me $17/hour or something )

Well, never heard from the clinic I interviewed at. Nor have I heard from the one right up the road. I was going to call them on my lunch Monday to make sure they received my resume (this would be the THIRD time I've sent it...)

I'm not surprised you didn;t hear from the clinic yet, as you said they were very busy, and rushed. Send her a thank-you note, and ask for a follow-up, perhaps. And I do think it's a good idea to call the nearby place Monday on your lunch. A resume is a piece of paper and can get lost in the shuffle, either literally or figuratively, but a phone call and a pleasant person on the other end is easier to remember. Be positive, and upbeat when you call in, you needn't mention this is the third time you've sent a resumé in, just "Hi, This is Jessika Xyz, I wanted to be sure you got the resumé I recently sent in, as I would love to work there! Who would I speak to about this?"

The first clinic I interviewed at never got back to me, and just put another ad on craig's list looking for an RVT... so guess I just didn't fit the bill. That's ok though, I wasn't in love with the clinic or how they ran things.

I interviewed with Royal Canin as they were looking for an RVT to man phones in their technical services department. Normally this isn't something I'd consider, but I WOULD be working under a DVM (therefore keeping my license), the pay was fantastic, they offered amazing health insurance with the option for vision and dental, as well as a 401k plan that Royal Canin matched 5%, and Mars ALSO matched 5% (so you got 15% for 5%). I was asked back for a final interview, but declined. I wasn't happy with sitting at a desk answering phones all day...

The day after I declined that offer, I got a phone call from a local VCA clinic. I did do a huge interview no-no over the phone when she'd asked what salary I was looking for... and I told her the high end of my expectations... and she didn't even scoff. Had an interview the next day. Am waiting to hear back for a working interview, but with the holiday coming up this week she said it may take a few days to get back to me. I got a really good vibe, they also offer health, vision, and dental, along with a 401k and a handful of other benefits. I really, really hope she calls me back.

So if anyone can cross your fingers, pray, send good vibes........ I would really appreciate it!!!!!